After the frustrating defeat to Brighton before the international break, Ange Postecoglou could be tempted to make some changes to his team for the West Ham game at the weekend, but Rob Guest suggests the majority of the team still picks itself.
Tottenham have guaranteed starters
With Spurs cruising at 2-0 at half-time against Brighton, many had expected the Lilywhites to go on to secure a sixth successive victory. But, a second-half meltdown saw Postecoglou‘s men throw away their lead and the three points.
Fingers have been pointed at the defence in particular for allowing Brighton back into the game, and Postecoglou now has big decisions to make ahead of an important London derby against West Ham on Saturday.
According to Rob Guest for Football.London, however, Postecoglou will lean on nine key players to form the spine of the team once more at the weekend, and will keep the faith in his backline.
Guest suggests that both Radu Dragusin and Djed Spence are pushing for a starting spot, due to Cristian Romero’s tight turnaround after international duty, and Destiny Udogie‘s poor performance against Brighton.
But, he predicts Postecoglou will stick with Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Udogie in defence.
In midfield, the creative pairing of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are tipped as being “guaranteed to start” after their recent good form. The same goes for Brennan Johnson on the wing, and Dominic Solanke leading the line.
Two spots up for grabs
The only two places in the starting line-up that are at all contentious, in Gold’s opinion, come down to a battle between Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park, and the fitness of Heung-min Son.
Bentancur was criticised for his display against Brighton, and Bissouma may well be preferred to offer something different in the holding role in midfield.
Timo Werner has been starting on the left wing recently, but has also drawn criticism, and it is thought that, if Son is fit he will absolutely take back his place in the team.
Spence should start
While Son stepping in is a no-brainer, and Bissouma should probably win the fight for a spot in the middle of the park, I do think that Djed Spence deserves a chance at left-back instead of Udogie. The starting XI we need to see against West Ham should reflect the fact that the defence was simply unacceptable last time out, with Udogie being the main culprit.